MIXING PROCESSES AT THE SEA SURFACE

MIXING PROCESSES AT THE SEA SURFACE

From 1990-07-01
to 1993-08-31

Project details

Total cost:

Not available

EU contribution:

Not available

Coordinated in:

United Kingdom

Topic(s):

Funding scheme:

CSC - Cost-sharing contracts

Objective

The overall objective of the project is to determine the influence of wind, waves, tidal currents, stratification and bottom generated turbulence on the mixing processes in the near-surface layers of the sea.Work in progress includes the following studies:to determine the influence of wind, waves, tidal currents, stratification and bottom generated turbulence on the mixing processes in the near surface layers of the sea;to investigate the use of side scan sonar techniques for the remote measurement of mixing processes;to develop numerical models for synthesising experimental data and for parameterizing the dependence of mixing processes on environmental conditions.The experimental techniques used are dye and diesel diffusion experiments and sonar measurements at sea carried out simultaneously, as far as possible.Dye diffusion experiments will enable cross-plume concentration profiles to be measured in different environmental conditions and hence peak concentrations and variances to be derived which can then be related to diffusion times. Side-scan sonar experiments will provide measurements of breaking wave frequency and resulting turbulence and will provide data on Langmuir circulation-created bubble bands. The contribution of Langmuir cells to diffusion and mixing will then be investigated. The experiments will be carried out in both the North Sea, which is characterised by strong tides with little stratification, and in the Mediterranean, which is characterised by weak tides with a considerable degree of stratification.